Arthur Fils Cincinnati: Leads Cobolli 6-3

Arthur Fils Cincinnati is a live semifinal, and the first set is already his. Sofascore has No. 21 Arthur Fils up 6-3 on No. 7 Flavio Cobolli on Stadium Court, second set 0-0, with a first Masters 1000 final on the line for both. ESPN's scoreboard listed the match in the second set. Fils got here in 64 minutes Friday, 6-3, 6-2 over Thiago Agustin Tirante, Tennis Now clocked it, and he never faced a break point.

He is the first Frenchman to reach three Masters 1000 semifinals in a season since Guy Forget in 1991, Tennis Temple and IANS both had the mark. The other two this year were Miami and Madrid. One more win and he is in a Masters final for the first time. Cobolli is in the same boat. The Cincinnati Enquirer put it simply: the winner reaches their first ATP 1000 final.

Arthur Fils Cincinnati live: 6-3 first set vs Cobolli

Sofascore's live board is 6-3, 0-0 for Fils. Do not get ahead of the second set. The first one is in the books. Fils leads the career series 2-0. Tennis Now said they had not met since Monte-Carlo this year, Fils in straight sets. Sofascore has the other meeting as a Next Gen Finals sweep, 3-0 in the short format. Cobolli has not taken a set off him at tour level.

Friday was a clinic. Tennis Majors had Fils holding all nine service games, winning 83 percent of first-serve points, and breaking three times. IANS, citing ATP Stats, said he never faced a break point and broke twice in the second set after a 4-3 break in the first. "Tonight was good, felt good," Fils said, per Tennis Now. "First time on the center court and it's kind of different energy. I just played my best tennis."

Forget's 1991 club, and a first final for someone

Tirante had beaten Novak Djokovic earlier in the week. Fils still dropped him in 64 minutes. He had already taken out Alex de Minaur and Jiri Lehecka. The Cincinnati Enquirer noted those were top-10 scalps before the quarterfinal. Bet365 News had him dropping one set all week, the one Lehecka took. Since adding Goran Ivanisevic to a staff that already includes Ivan Cinkus, IANS wrote, he has reached the quarterfinals or better in eight of 13 events.

"It's gonna be a nice battle," Fils said of Cobolli, per Tennis Now. "He has had an unbelievable year, playing his best tennis. He's gonna go for me and I am gonna go for him, and let's see." The other men's semifinal is Frances Tiafoe vs Brandon Nakashima later. Fils is already on court. 6-3. Second set. First Masters final still one set, or three, away.

Arthur Fils Cincinnati FAQ

What is the Arthur Fils vs Flavio Cobolli score? Fils won the first set 6-3, and Sofascore had the second set 0-0 with the match live on Stadium Court. ESPN listed it in the second set.

Did Arthur Fils beat Tirante in Cincinnati? Yes. 6-3, 6-2 in 64 minutes, per Tennis Now and IANS. He held every service game and did not face a break point, Tennis Majors reported.

Why does this Arthur Fils semifinal matter? He is the first Frenchman to three Masters 1000 semifinals in a season since Guy Forget in 1991. The winner of Fils-Cobolli reaches a first Masters 1000 final, the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote.